Leadership transition key Council highlight

The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Council chairperson, Norman Arendse SC, said the leadership transition was the highlight for the outgoing Council’s term of office at their farewell dinner on Friday, 21 June.

Arendse was elected as chairperson in June last year during a period of unprecedented leadership challenges at UCT. Part of his commitment was to ensure that the university appointed a permanent vice-chancellor while Emeritus Professor Daya Reddy steered the ship on an interim basis.

On Friday, 24 May, Professor Mosa Moshabela was unveiled as the new vice-chancellor, and will take up his post in October. Professor Moshabela was one of the guests who attended the farewell dinner as he continues to acclimatise himself with the university.

“I came on board last year during difficult circumstances, but with everybody’s support, input and encouragement, we managed to pull through and I think we achieved something very important for the institution, which is the appointment of the new vice-chancellor, Professor Mosa Moshabela. I must thank everybody on the selection committee and Council for approving his appointment,” Arendse began.

“We needed someone like him; someone who knows the place inside, out.”

He continued: “I believe we’re in a good space and Mosa is chomping at the bit to start, and having met a few staff members [already], he’s keen to get to know the institution. Because he’s been in higher education for a long time, it’s not unfamiliar territory for him. But as we know, UCT is a complex and big place. As the Council, we will be there to assist and guide and support [him] when it is necessary.”

The term of this Council started in 2020 and will end on 30 June 2024 with a new Council term beginning on 1 July. Some members are set to continue serving from the previous term while new members will be coming on board.

“I want to especially thank Daya Reddy, the interim vice-chancellor. He is the person UCT needed when he came in [March 2023], there’s no doubt. We needed someone like him; someone who knows the place inside, out. He has the respect of the structures of UCT, and he’s been able to guide us and put us to where we are now – in a much better place than we were 12 months ago, so thank you,” said Arendse.

Peaceful transition

Arendse likened the leadership process to matters unfolding nationally. With no political party emerging with a majority during the recent South African elections the transition has been smooth as political parties grapple with the new order of co-leading the country.

“One thing our country is known for, is peaceful transitions – and looking at the presidential inauguration recently – we must not take that lightly because we are one of a few countries in the world that have peaceful transitions of leadership and we have now seen it at UCT,” Arendse said.

Turning to some own personal reflections, he spoke highly of the contributions from the Council during their various engagements, saying, “I think we have been through the tough times. And if there are tough times ahead, we are well conditioned on how to deal with it. The new Council has some talented people, and UCT is really spoilt for choice. There are some crucial issues that will bring a lot of discussion and debate and our role is to deal and find solutions and outcomes in the best interest of the university. We must ensure we stay on track and continue our academic project, which is our core business and providing an environment where people can reach their full potential.”

Level of commitment

As a member of the student community who served on Council, Students’ Representative Council (SRC) president, Hlamulo Khorommbi, noted: “The dedication shown by the chair of Council who has remained an ever-present voice in matters of our institution – I appreciate that our conversations  with the chairperson of Council have always been marked by professionalism and have always found a solution which will take our institution forward.”

Emeritus Professor Reddy was tasked with the toast on the evening: “At any given time, a council will have to contend with significant challenges, sometimes unprecedented and unanticipated and very often peculiar to a university – and this Council has had its fair share of such challenges. I have been here for 16 of the 48 months of this Council, nevertheless in this relatively short time, I have witnessed how the university has benefitted from the extraordinary level of commitment, leadership and guidance from Council. On behalf of members of the executive and broader UCT community, I want to extend our gratitude to the outgoing Council. Thank you, sincerely, for all you’ve done for our university.”

In proposing the toast for the dinner, Reddy simply had one thing on his mind: “I propose a toast to the University of Cape Town.”